This posting is to provide some information that is often discussed here. It is also an advertisement because while it is something that I care about it is also a project that pays me a salary. I disclose this freely to the moderators and also to readers so they can have complete information.

CamTEFL has been training teachers since March 2008. This month CamTEFL became an accredited centre for the College of Teachers in the UK able to award Level 1 Advanced Certificates in TESOL.

Accreditation followed a detailed proposal and an investigation into all the course components including examination of sample portfolios by an external assessor ( from the Masters programme at Bath University).

You can ( and should ) corroborate the accreditation and its meaning through an internet search. I am in the process of signing and sending the Memorandum of Agreement so it may be a short while before the CoT website is updated.

The College of Teachers at the Institute of Education is the oldest professional body for teachers in the world. It was established in 1846 and received its Royal Charter in 1849. The College of Teachers has UK University status, can issue awards up to Masters level and is overseen by the British government. The Advanced Certificate in TESOL award from the College of Teachers meets British Council requirements for those teaching in its accredited schools.

This accreditation is not as universally well recognised as the CELTA or the Trinity but it independent and reputable.

Certification to get a job is clear objective for anyone contemplating taking a TEFL and this is certainly true of CamTEFL . However, as important if not more so, is the goal of teaching someone to do the job. This is important, not only during the first few months as newly qualified teachers (NQT) adjust to larger teaching loads and the demands of the schools but to give sufficient structure to assure these newly acquired skills are sustained and developed

Further information can be found at http://www.camtefl.org and I am happy to answer any questions at neal [dot] evans [at] camtefl [dot] org. Further information can be given in person as we are again taking an advertising table at the CamTESOL conference.